Automatic line indicator for typewriters



Aug. 23,1927. 1,640,337

` G. N. ALWQRTH AUTOMATIC LINE INDICATOR FOR TYPEWRITERS Filed Oct. '7, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS l 1,640,337 Aug. 23, 1921. Q N. ALWORTH AUTOMATIC LINE INDICATOR FOR TYPEWRITERS Filed oct. v 'lezs s sheets-sheet INVENTOR G. N .Rlworlv ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 23, 1927.

GREYDON N. ALWORTH, `OF SOUTH MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

AUTOMATIC LINE INDICATOR FOR TYIEWRITERS.

Application led October 7, 1926. Serial Nm 140,171.

This invention relates to an automatic line indicator for typewriters designed to indi cate to the typist that the last line has been reached.

@ne of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a device of this character which requires no adjustment but is automatically operated when the lower edge of the sheet of paper comes to a predetermined position on the platen of the typewriter.

A further object is to provide an automatic indicator for typewriters having these advantages and capacities and which is of simple and durable. construction, reliable and effective in operation and easy and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of the construction, arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation showing a. typewriter carriage with an automatic indicator embodying'the present invention,

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2 2 of Figure 1, j

Figure 3 is a similar view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and illustrating one phase of the operation,

Figure 4 is a View similar to Fig. 3 s bowing another phase of the operation7 Figure 5 is a sectional view on 5-5 of Figure 1,

Figure 6 is a detail perspective view showing the principal parts of the attachment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4,

Figure 7 is a view in section showing another form of the invention,

Figure 8 is a view in end elevation of another modified form of the invention7 Figure 9 is a plan view of the modified forms shown in Fig. 8, and

Figure 10 is a view thereof in front elevation.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, the numeral 1 designates generally a typewriter carriage which may be of any standard construction and which has the usual paper holding and feeding means. As usual the paper holding and feeding means includes a the line platen 2 fixed to a rotatable shaft 3, the shaft 3 being turned by the thumb pieces 4. Associated with the platen is an elongated generally arcuate shapepaper guide 5 constructed of sheet metal and supported in the usual manner. The other instrumentalities of the paper holding and feeding means are well known and need no detailed explanation here. The present invention proposes the provision of a sha-ft 6 which extends along the guide 5 in substantial paral# lelism tothe axis of rotation of the platen 2. At spaced points along this shaft 6 toothed paper engaging rollers 7 'are fixed. The teeth of the rollers 7 are indicated at 7 and as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and these teeth 7 u are directed at an angle in the direction of rotation of the rollers and they serve to define pockets 8 in which the lower edge of the paper is caught as will hereinafter be more fully described. The guide 5 is cut away adjacent each roller 7 so that the teeth of each roller 7 lie close up against the outer surface of the platen when the teeth are positionedvin the openings provided therefor in the guide 5.

The shaft 6 is drivenat a rate of speed greater than that of the platen and preferably the teeth of the rollers move about two and a half times as fast as the platen and the paper fed thereby but this speed ratio may be varied and especially may be increased with good results. F or the purpose of so driving the shaft 6 the shaft 3 on which the platen is fixed also has fixed thereto a relatively large gear wheel 10 and this gear wheel 10 meshes with a pinion 11 loosely mounted adjacent one end ofy the shaft 6. Itis to be understood that the shaft 6 may be conveniently supported for rotation in any suitable manner but one convenient way of rotatably mounting this shaft is to provide bearings formed of coils of wire 12 (see especially Fig. 6), the extremities of ther-oils of wire being extended beyond the coil and welded or soldered to the paper guide 5. Additional bearing brackets 15 and 16 may be provided for the end portion of the shaft and are located on the opposite sides of the pinion 11, these yend brackets-15 and 16 being supported on av fixed frame 17 fastened to a suitable stationary portion of the carriage. As shown in Fig. 1 the bearing bracket 15 is of L-shape and also has its foot Welded or otherwise ot speed 'thanthe platen through the instrumentality ot the gears l() and 11 and in this instance by the driving 'connectionv afforded by the interengaged clutch members 4t) and 42. lVhen'the lower edge ot the ysheet otA paper is caught in one ot the rollers the load thus imposed on the shaft 6 is suliicient to`causel the clutch men'ibers-'LlO and 42 to slide apart inasmuch as the clutch member 42 is held while the clutch member 40 continues to rotate. Pls a result of this action the clutch member 42 is disposed inwardly along the shaft 6 and its coverl extension 46 swings the bell crank lever 45 which in turn rocks the rock shatt 5l `through the link 49 and swings the striker 53 to sound the bell. The operator is thus advised that the last line is reached.

vvin all tormsot the invention no setting is necessary andthe operation is entirely automatic. Backing up et the paper by reverse rotation o't the platen causes no trouble even it the bell is about' to ring dueto the engagement of the tooth 7n; rlwo rollers are shown but more rollers might be used to insure positive action. The bell may be ot a ditt'erent tone 'trom the bell that indicates the end ot a line it this vis desirable. In either form the attachment may be manufactured at a comparatively slight expense and may be easily applied to the typewriter without the necessity*otmoditying the construction or mode ot operation et the paper holdingand teeding Vmeans. vln forming the teeth 'Tit is vextremely desirable to round ott all snarp' edges to prevent tearing ot t-he paper and it desired adjacent each' toothed roller T- a guide roller 75 may be placed as shown in Fig. 7. 'A roller placed at'this point doubly insures the catching ot the lower edge ot the paper in the pocket and'also Jfacilitates the release ol the paper trom the pocket after the signal has been sounded.

l' claim v l. 'the combination with a typewriter carriage having paper 'feedingand holding means including a rotatable platen, ot a shaft extending along and adjacent the platen, a roller fixed to the sha'tt and having teeth designed to engage and hold the lower edge ot the paper, gearing tor driving the sha't't from and at a greater rate ot than the platen, said gearing including normally inter-engaged elements automatically disengaged when the lower edge of thepaper is caught, a signal, and means tor actuating the signal when said elements are disengaged.

2. rl`he combination with a typewriter carriage having paper feeding and holding means including a rotatable platen, of a shaft extending along and adjacent the platen, a roller tixed to the shatt and having teeth designed to engage and hold the lower edge of the paper, gearing for driving the shaft including a releasable driving connecspeed tion automatically releasable when the lower .edge of the paper is being caught, a signal, and means forfoperatingthe signal when said elements are disengaged.

The combination witha typewriter carriage having a paper feeding and holding member includingv a rotatable platen, ot' shat't extending along and adjacent the platen, means tor rotating the shaft, rollers tixed to the shaft and having teeth inclined in .the direction of rotation ot the rollers and :torming pockets in which the lower edge ot the sheet ot paper in the'typewriter is adapted to catch, gearing'tor driving the shaft from and ata greater rate ot speedthan theplaten, said gearing including normally inter-engaged elements automatically disengaged .when the lower edge oitl the paper is caught, a signal, and means for actuating the signal when said elements are disengaged.

4. The combination with a typewriter carriage having paper feeding and holding means including a rotatable platen, ol:- a shaft extending along and adjacent the platen, means tor mounting the shaft for rotary movement, rolls tixed to the platen rnd hai/'ing means designed to engage and catch the lower edge-ot the sheet ot paper in the typewriter, a large gear wheel conneeted to and driven by the platen, a pinion loosely mounted on the shaft and meshed with thelarge gear wheel, a releasable driving connection between the pinion and the sliatt'incliming interengaged elements adapt# edito be automatically disengaged when the lower edge ot the paper is caught, a bell mounted on the carriage, and a strikertor the bell having means connected thereto and operable by the disengagement ot l'said members.

5. The combination with a typewriter carriagehavinga paper feeding and holding means including a rotatable platen, of a .shatt extending along and adjacent the platen, means for mounting the shaft tor rotation, rolls lixed to the platen and havingl teeth designed to engage vand catch the lower edge ot the paper, a large gear wheel connected tothe platen and driven thereby, a

pinion loosely mounted on the shaft and meshed with the large gear wheel, a ratchet wheel connected to the pinion, a plate lixed to the shaft, a pawl pivoted to the plate and engageable with the ratchet wheel, a

light'spring for holding the pawl engaged with the ratchet wheel, a striker 'traine pivoted to the plate, and connected with the pawl,

said striker trame having a counterweight, a striker carried by the striker trame, and a bell (2o-operable with the striker.

6.' The combination with a typewriter carriage having a paper feeding and holding means including a rotatable platen, of a shaft extending along and adjacent the platen, means for mounting the shaft for rotation, rolls fixed to the platen and havingr spring for holding the pawl engaged with the ratchet wheel, a striker trame pivoted to the plate and connected with the pawl, a striker carried by the striker Jr'rame, and a bell cooperable with the Striker. Y

T. rlhe combination with a typewriter carriage having a. paper feeding and holding means including a rotatable platen, of a rshalt extending along adjacent the platen,

means for mounting the shalt tor rotation, rolls lixed to the shait and having teeth designed to'engage and catch the lower edge ot the paper, a large gear wheel connected toand driven by the platen, aV pinion loosely mounted on the sha'lt and meshed with the large gear wheel, a clutch member iiXed to the pinion, a second clutch member splined on the shaft, said clutch members having cooperable teeth designed to normally connect the clutch members but operating to auto-` matically shiilt the second clutch member along the shaift when the lower edge of the paper is caught in the teeth olI the rolls, a bell, a striker' 'for the bell, and means for causing the striker to hit the bell when the second clutch member is disengaged irom the iirst-nientioned clutch member.

8. The combination with a typewriter carriagehaving paper feeding and holding means including a rotatable platen and a guide plate associated with the laten, `of a shalt extending along and ac jacent the platen, means for mounting the shaft lor rotation, rolls lixed to the shaft, said guide" having openings adj acentl each roll, each roll having teeth designed to Aengage and hold the lower edge ot the sheet or' paper in the typewriter, a guide roller adjacent each roll, gearing for driving the shafty from and at a greater rate of speed than the platen, said gearing including vnormally interengaged elements automatically disengagedwhen the loweredge oi the paper is caught, a signal, and means for actuating the signal when saidv elements are disengaged. V

9. The combination with a typewriter carriage having paper feeding and holding means including a. rotatable platen, of al shaft extending along andA adjacent the platen, means for mou-nting .the shalt for rotation, rolle lixed to the shaftV and having teeth designed to engage and hold the 'lowerV edge ot the paper, a large gear wheel connected to and driven by the platen, a pinion Y meshed with the large gearwheel and loose ly litted on the shaitfa driving connection between the pinion and the shalt including an element connected to the pinion, and a cooperable element connected to the shaft, means ior normally maintaining lthe ele'-V ments engaged by permitting the co-operable elementto move out ot engagement with the element connected with the pinion when thel lower edge ot the paper is caught in the teeth ci the rolls, a belland means operated by the movement of the'co-operable element lfor sounding the bell. Y i

eanirnony N. .ALWoRrH. 

